Review of The Descendants (2011) by Halfwelshman — 03 Feb 2012

Alexander Payne is an expert at exploring rather dark subject matter in a relatively light-hearted way. We saw him do this in his last feature Sideways, and he carries on the tradition in The Descendants.

The film discusses life, death, love and relationships, all pretty hefty subjects, through a combination of honest drama and comedy. The cast are superb across the board, with George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, Nick Krause and Robert Forster all giving sterling performances.

Despite the universal acclaim Clooney's performance as Matt King has received (though quite rightly so), the real star of the film is the brilliant newcomer Amara Miller, playing Matt's wild younger daughter Scottie.

The film is well-written, beautifully filmed, very funny and has a fine summer collection of Hawaiian shirts on show. It's the contrast between humour and serious drama that makes the film work in the end - there's some great physical comedy from Clooney, and some funny moments in the dialogue throughout, but also many rather tender, emotional and dramatic scenes (my favourite scene from the entire film is right at the end, with Matt and his two daughters snuggled up on the couch under a blanket and eating ice cream).

The Descendants is really the story of a fairly privileged man who's trying to get through a really bad year in his life, and needs to himself (and his family) back on track. It's also a road movie - though Matt King's individual experiences are important moments for him and the audience, it is his difficult journey back to a relative normality in his life that really rewards the viewer.

It's a refreshingly honest family drama, and despite having a pretty dark heart, the overall viewing experience is a cheerful and fulfilling one. We meet and spend time with believable people, characters who we can truly empathise with, and that is what makes the Descendants truly stand out from the crowd.